How can eggs not be filthy?

[Beekissed]

Quote:
Actually, the salmonella in store bought eggs does not come from the outside of the egg, but from the reproductive system of deeply infected birds, those infected with particularly strong, mutated salmonella strains that are not easily destroyed by the body's own defenses.

http://www.foodsafetynews.com/2013/08/the-five-most-common-salmonella-strains/#.VFOpisnviSo

Quote:
http://www.forbes.com/sites/nadiaar...al-in-a-british-supermarket-and-vice-versa/3/
Quote: Since the late 1990’s, British farmers have been vaccinating hens against salmonella following a crisis that sickened thousands of people who had consumed infected eggs. Amazingly, this measure has virtually wiped out the health threat in Britain.

 

[Smilin Teri]

 

[Blooie]

Yes and restaurant menus.

Close, but think about the salt and pepper shakers in restaurants.....especially the ones that you flip upside down and grind over your food. People grab them with greasy, food covered hands and twist them and then those shakers sit on the table waiting for the next patron, only being wiped down when they need to be refilled. Yucky, especially in seafood or rib restaurants where much of the food is eaten with the hands!

I am an avowed germaphobe. I hate the little boogers! You only have to have gangrene once in your life to respect the power they have to change (or end) your life, and I came real close to losing my hand. The immediate result was trouble from having 3 different antibiotics being pushed through IVs, first one, and when that bag was empty the second, and the third following that 24/7 for 10 days. Trying now to find an effective antibiotic for me is very difficult. Because I know that too many antibiotics are harmful, I'd just as soon take care of myself so I DON'T need to be exposed to those medications anymore.

I know I'm taking a risk by constant hand washing and sanitizing. I know I'm killing off critters I need for a well balanced system at the same time I'm killing off the bad stuff. But at this point I could no more stop that behavior than stop eating or sleeping...it's part of my life style. But even I have no problem eating eggs and chicken from my backyard flock. I know what the birds were fed.I know that they get plenty of sunshine and fresh air, and that they are healthy with the free ranging time they get. I know that their coop and run are as clean as I can get them without disinfecting them all of the time - I let nature take care of the cleaning with the deep litter I use and a good dose of common sense. I'd be lying if I said that an occasional poopy egg has never been found in my nest boxes, but that's usually the result of a hen dragging in some on her feet. When that happens, the egg does get washed and used immediately, and the nesting material is cleaned out and replaced.

I'll eat my "filthy eggs" from my "filthy chickens" any time over store bought. At least it's honest dirt, not manufactured by overcrowding and overzealous disinfecting that probably does more harm than good.

 

[Dinosuarus]

'Clean' can be a relative term depending on the situation and the perspective of the person using the word.

But, Yes, chicken eggs out of the backyard are 'filthy' in some respects, some are filthier than others.
Personal choice how you deal with it.
JMHO

and this.

I'd be lying if I said that an occasional poopy egg has never been found in my nest boxes, ... .

I'll eat my "filthy eggs" from my "filthy chickens" any time over store bought. At least it's honest dirt, ... .

 

[Kikiriki]

Thanks, aart. I was going to delete the OP, but sunflour helped me understand a bit better and I'm still curious and confused.

Chicken eggs should not be very soiled unless the area in front of nests are dirty.  They cannot poop and lay at the same time.

That I understand, but the entire chicken is ... how can I say this? --- A Chicken. It digs, scratches and even dust bathes in its own feces and excrement. It is filthy. Its feet are filthy. Its feathers are filthy. It's an animal. A dirty bird. Foul. ( Can you tell I don't think of them as pets? :/ ) The egg is laid on a filthy surface in dirty surroundings. Not because you (the chicken keeper) don't keep it clean enough, but because the chicken is filthy. How can every inch of the chicken not be covered in feces, dust, lice, mites, and who knows what else? How can the outside of the egg not be filthy too? It was born in foulness. I'm not being argumentative. I don't get how the outside of an unwashed egg could possibly be clean.

My thought is that commercial egg producers in most first world countries scrub and bleach eggs not only because it makes them more appealing, but because eggs are produced in an environment of chickens covered in germs and bacteria. The U.S. food safety standards are higher than second and third world countries. Again, I'm not making an argument for washing eggs. I just don't get how they are not inherently dirty.

 
If you are that concerned, you can have your chickens tested for salmonella.  But even if negative, I would not recommend eating raw eggs. 

I heard  that! ^

I still don't understand how restaurants can serve sunny side up/over easy eggs 24/7 seemingly without a care.

I have had chickens for 2.5 years. I never wash the eggs, but any that have poo on the shell, or have cracked get fed to the dogs at their next meal. The eggs have a plastic container in the refrigerator and never touch other food. Immediately befor using them I wash them. We have had ZERO incidences of illness. Your toothbrush is probably more biologically hazardous than the contents of an egg and you stick that in your mouth on a regular basis!

 

[tcstoehr]

Quote:
I doubt this is true but have no solid information. I keep hearing that in Europe they don't do this. Does anyone have the real scoop?

Current research shows that "dirty" is considerably healthier than "sanitized". But after a while the population cannot unlearn what it has been taught for so long. Germiphobia runs rampant.

 

[Beekissed]

I doubt this is true but have no solid information. I keep hearing that in Europe they don't do this. Does anyone have the real scoop?

Current research shows that "dirty" is considerably healthier than "sanitized". But after a while the population cannot unlearn what it has been taught for so long. Germiphobia runs rampant.

http://www.forbes.com/sites/nadiaar...egal-in-a-british-supermarket-and-vice-versa/

Quote:
For the actual website dealing with UK egg regulations: https://www.gov.uk/eggs-trade-regulations